Chapter 23
755words
He lowered his gaze, clutching his phone as he approached people with the photo, asking if they'd seen her.
He didn't care about his appearance at the foreign airport. He just kept shouting "Callista" over and over. After running through nearly the entire airport, he finally got an answer.
"She was sitting right here half an hour ago. The flight has already taken off.
"When you came in, she even looked at you. Are you sure you know her? If so, why didn't she respond when you were shouting her name?"
Luther froze on the spot. He had missed her by only 30 minutes. He was so close to seeing her, yet somehow, he fell just short.
Exhausted and drenched in sweat, Luther's heart felt like it had plunged into an icy abyss.
She had watched him run around like a fool, searching desperately, yet she hadn't taken even a single step toward him to make herself known.
At that moment, Luther finally understood something. The hints and clues weren't her way of giving him another chance.
She had never intended to take him back.
"Fighting with your girlfriend, huh? You must've made a big mistake," a passing traveler commented sympathetically while watching Luther's desolate state.
"But girls usually have soft hearts. If you try harder, maybe you can win her back."
But she wasn't soft-hearted anymore. Luther's throat felt unbearably dry at that moment.
"Thank you. She's my wife, and I'll bring her back."
…
Callista's plane finally landed the next day.
The moment she turned on her phone, yet another trending topic about Luther popped up. "Luther Spencer's journey to reconcile ends in another missed chance."
Pinned at the top was a photo of her back, with Luther in the frame as well.
Callista's gaze cooled. She marked the topic as uninteresting yet again and turned off her phone.
She was exhausted by it all. She had already drawn a clear line between them, yet he continued to pursue her relentlessly.
Dragging her suitcase, she walked toward the airport exit but hesitated briefly as she glanced back.
Jude wasn't there. Callista quickly shook her head and tapped her temple.
What was she thinking? Of course, he wouldn't be here.
She turned away without looking back, leaving the airport. Her plan was to stay in the city for seven days.
Callista explored every corner of the city as outlined in her guidebook. Before she knew it, it was the seventh day.
There were no new messages in her chat with Jude. The bet he had suggested now seemed more like a passing joke.
She wandered through a grove of jacaranda trees, and the beauty of the scenery tempted her to take a full-body photo. Turning around, she handed her phone to a passerby.
"Hi, could you help me take a…" Her words trailed off as their eyes met.
It was Jude.
He didn't take her phone. Instead, he naturally picked up his camera. After finishing the photos, Callista still felt dazed.
Jude lowered the camera, and his warm smile was unwavering as he said the words, "I won."
Just then, something subtle rippled through her heart. It took her a moment to respond.
"I have a flight this afternoon."
"Then it'll be my honor to go with you to your next destination."
At that moment, Callista couldn't bring herself to refuse.
That afternoon, Callista and Jude's flight took off. Just then, Luther's plane had just landed at the same airport.
Following the trail of clues left by online comments, Luther visited every spot Callista had been to, only to realize, once again, that he was too late.
He stood alone in the airport late at night, feeling utterly defeated.
The honey garlic prawns in his arms had long since clumped together. He carefully opened the box and took a bite.
A tear fell into the food.
Luther lost track of how many times he scrolled through online comments while desperately searching for any trace of Callista.
Following her trail was the only way he could convince himself he hadn't completely lost her.
Then, a message from Jane popped up. She had managed to track down Callista's current phone number.
Luther's hands trembled so much that he nearly dropped the phone. Finally, he mustered the courage to dial the number.
The call connected.
"Honey, the honey garlic prawns went bad. I'll buy you fresh ones, okay?"
